(CNN) - A friend of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said she was "always willing to talk to her constituents," and that her returning to Tucson for a town hall meeting in the days after Congress had convened was typical.

Giffords, 40, was one of 18 people shot, six fatally, at a Tucson, Arizona, grocery store Saturday at what she called "My 1st Congress on Your Corner," in a tweet shortly before she was shot.

(CNN) - Democrats and Republicans often spout plans to address the budget and long-term deficit, but in their weekly web and radio speeches charted different courses to achieve the goals.

New House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor targeted health care as the first order of business for the new Congress, saying in Saturday's address that repealing the legislation would not only tackle care, but also decrease government spending and help businesses.FULL POST